Written Answers Tuesday 5 December 2006

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drivers directly responsible for causing death or injury whilst under the influence of alcohol had a previous conviction for drink-driving, broken down by (a) year since 1996 and (b) police force area.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were (a) killed and (b) injured by a driver who was under the influence of alcohol and who also had a previous conviction for drink-driving, broken down by (a) year since 1996 and (b) police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information on the numbers of drink-drive accidents and casualties in Scotland is derived from the GB-wide estimates compiled by the Department for Transport. The latest estimates are included at table 22 of Road Accidents Scotland 2005 which was published by the Scottish Executive in November 2006, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41118). These and other statistics collected centrally do not include information about any previous convictions that drivers involved in drink-drive accidents may have.

Alcohol Misuse

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to increase the number of prosecutions of licensees who sell alcohol to customers who are drunk.

John Beckett QC: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is Scotland’s sole prosecution authority. The decision whether to prosecute is based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case and COPFS does not have operational targets relating to the number of prosecutions in respect of any category of crime, including the sale of alcohol to customers who are drunk.

  Procurators fiscal throughout Scotland are working in communities to raise the profile of and respond effectively to all aspects of antisocial behaviour.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-10943 on 2 November 2006 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search.

Debt

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22430 by Allan Wilson on 27 January 2006, whether it will provide an up-to-date breakdown of the number of approved money advisers for the Debt Arrangement Scheme by local authority area.

Allan Wilson: Local Authority Area
 Number of DAS Approved Money Advisers on 27 November 2006


 Aberdeen City
 2


 Aberdeenshire
 1


 Angus
 3


 Argyll and Bute
 1


 Clackmannanshire
 3


 Dumfries and Galloway
 4


 Dundee City
 1


 East Ayrshire
 3


 East Dunbartonshire
 2


 East Lothian
 0


 East Renfrewshire
 4


 Edinburgh City
 5


 Falkirk
 5


 Fife
 9


 Glasgow City
 5


 Highland
 5


 Inverclyde
 1


 Midlothian
 0


 Moray
 1


 North Ayrshire
 6


 North Lanarkshire Council
 5


 Orkney
 1


 Perth and Kinross
 0


 Renfrewshire
 2


 Scottish Borders
 0


 Shetland
 0


 South Ayrshire Council
 2


 South Lanarkshire Council
 7


 Stirling
 1


 West Dunbartonshire
 1


 West Lothian
 1


 Western Isles
 1


 Scotland
 82

Debt

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22432 by Allan Wilson on 27 January 2006, whether it will provide an update on the number of people who have been placed on a debt payment programme since the Debt Arrangement Scheme was created, broken down by local authority area.

Allan Wilson: Local Authority Area
DAS Debt Payment Programmes to 27 November 2006


Aberdeen City
Nil


Aberdeenshire
Nil


Angus
Nil


Argyll and Bute
20


East Ayrshire
Nil


North Ayrshire
4


South Ayrshire
Nil


Clackmannanshire
3


Dumfries and Galloway
25


Dundee City
Nil


East Dunbartonshire
1


West Dunbartonshire
Nil


Edinburgh City
8


Falkirk
1


Fife
5


Glasgow City
11


Highland
3


Inverclyde
1


North Lanarkshire
130


South Lanarkshire
10


East Lothian
2


Midlothian
Nil


West Lothian
Nil


Moray
1


Orkney
Nil


Renfrewshire
2


East Renfrewshire
10


Perth and Kinross
1


Scottish Borders
Nil


Shetland
Nil


Stirling
Nil


Western Isles
Nil


Scotland
238

Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of some local authorities handling efficiency savings in such a way that the devolved school management (DSM) budget at head teachers’ disposal is reduced; whether it is aware of any other local authority practices that involve funds which are notionally within the DSM budget, and what its position is on the matter.

Hugh Henry: In setting the local government finance settlements for the three years 2005-08, an efficiency assumption of 0.7 per cent per year was factored in. It was agreed that this efficiency assumption should not be applied to the education, police or fire allocations for employment costs. It is a matter for local authorities as to how they meet the efficiency gains identified, which are applied against education non salary costs, including those which are devolved to school level.

Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it now holds information on the fees levied by local authorities on parents for a child (a) receiving specialist tuition in a musical instrument in school and (b) attending a local authority-run youth orchestra or band and at what levels these are set, broken down by local authority.

Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally.

Employment

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29102 by Ross Finnie on 13 November 2006, how many people were employed in the (a) fishing, (b) farming and (c) manufacturing sector in (i) 1997, (ii) 1999 and (iii) the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (1) Scottish parliamentary constituency, (2) enterprise company area and (3) local authority area in the South of Scotland.

Ross Finnie: 1. The number of people employed in sea fishing broken down by enterprise company area and local authority area in the South of Scotland for the years 1997, 1999 and 2005 (latest data available) are given in the following tables. Figures are not available by Scottish Parliamentary Constituency.

  Fishermen Employed by Enterprise Company Area in the South of Scotland

  

 Local Enterprise Company
 1997
 1999
 2005


 Ayrshire
 608
 575
 450


 Borders
 181
 145
 116


 Dumfries and Galloway
 289
 290
 206


 Lanarkshire
-
 -
 -



  Fishermen Employed by Local Authority Area in the South of Scotland

  

 Local Authority Area
 1997
 1999
 2005


 Dumfries and Galloway
 289
 290
 2061


 East Ayrshire
 -
 -
 -


 Scottish Borders
 181
 145
 116


 South Ayrshire
 588
 555
 4352


 South Lanarkshire
-
 -
 -



  Notes:

  1. The figure for Dumfries and Galloway includes 11 fishermen employed in Portpatrick which were incorrectly assigned to South Ayrshire in table 12 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2005.

  2. The figure for South Ayrshire excludes nine fishermen employed in Cumbraes which were incorrectly assigned to South Ayrshire in table 12 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2005

  2. The number of people employed in farming broken down by local authority area in the South of Scotland for the years 1997, 1999 and 2006 (latest data available) are given in the following table. Figures are not available by Scottish parliamentary constituency or enterprise company area.

  Employment in Farming by Local Authority Area in the South of Scotland

  

 Local Authority Area
 1997
 1999
 2006


 Dumfries and Galloway
 7,412
 7,358
 6,827


 East Ayrshire
 1,859
 1,905
 1,654


 Scottish Borders
 4,439
 4,306
 4,280


 South Ayrshire
 1,589
 1,583
 1,455


 South Lanarkshire
 2,636
 2,586
 2,429



  3. The number of people employed in manufacturing broken down by (1) Scottish parliament constituency, (2) enterprise company area and (3) local authority area in the South of Scotland for the years 1998, 1999 and 2004 (latest data available) are shown in the following tables.

  Manufacturing Employment by Scottish Parliament Constituency in the South of Scotland

  

Scottish Parliament Constituency
1997
1999
2004


Ayr
5,100
5,500
4,400


Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
5,300
4,300
2,300


Clydesdale
4,000
3,800
1,600


Cunninghame South
8,800
7,700
4,700


Dumfries
6,500
6,400
4,900


East Lothian
3,300
2,200
1,600


Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
3,500
3,400
2,600


Roxburgh and Berwickshire
6,100
6,300
5,100


Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
4,600
3,800
2,400



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry, Annual Employee Survey rescaled analysis.

  Notes:

  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  2. Data for 1997 and 1999 are based on 1991 census wards. Data for 2004 are based on 2003 CAS wards.

  3. These data are based on a survey and are therefore subject to a degree of error. Therefore any changes over time may not be significant

  Manufacturing Employment by Enterprise Company Area in the South of Scotland

  

 Local Enterprise Company
 1998
 1999
 2004


 Ayrshire
 27,100
 25,800
 17,000


 Borders
 8,300
 9,200
 7,200


 Dumfries and Galloway
 10,000
 9,800
 7,500


 Lanarkshire
 44,300
 43,800
 31,900



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry.

  Notes:

  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  2. Data for 1998 and 1999 are based on 1991 census wards. Data for 2004 are based on 2003 CAS wards.

  3. These data are based on a survey and are therefore subject to a degree of error. Therefore any changes over time may not be significant.

  4. Consistent data for Enterprise Company Areas are not available prior to 1998.

  Manufacturing Employment by Local Authority Area in the South of Scotland

  

 Local Authority Area
 1998
 1999
 2004


 Dumfries and Galloway
 10,000
 9,800
 7,500


 East Ayrshire
 7,700
 7,200
 4,600


 Scottish Borders
 8,300
 9,200
 7,200


 South Ayrshire
 8,900
 8,500
 5,900


 South Lanarkshire
 22,400
 23,300
 17,400



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry, Annual Employee Survey rescaled analysis.

  Notes:

  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  2. Data for 1997 and 1999 are based on 1991 census wards. Data for 2004 are based on 2003 CAS wards.

  3. These data are based on a survey and are therefore subject to a degree of error. Therefore any changes over time may not be significant.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government on proposals to revert unclaimed revenues from the Standard Life shares issue to a charitable trust or trusts.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is aware that Standard Life has been discussing this issue with HM Revenues and Customs and stands ready to assist if required.

Fisheries

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) consultation paper, Conservation of skates, rays and spurdog, which outlines DEFRA’s intention to propose that a maximum landing size be set for spurdog and, if such a proposal is adopted, whether such a limit would be binding on all vessels fishing in Scottish waters.

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a maximum landing size for spurdog.

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the issue of English-registered vessels landing mature spurdog in Scottish waters, in light of the recommendation by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that a maximum landing size be introduced for this species and the most recent advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea that the spurdog population is depleted and may be in danger of collapse.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is aware of concerns regarding spurdog, skates and rays and officials have been considering the issues, including the possibility of a minimum landing size, together will colleagues in Defra. The matter is being taken forward on a UK basis with the European Commission, so that any measures which may be adopted can be applied throughout the EU, thus ensuring that they are as effective as possible.

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider bringing housing associations and transport partnerships within the remit of the Scottish Information Commissioner and the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland and their respective codes of practice.

Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to bring housing associations and transport partnerships within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive is conducting a review of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which is considering a number of aspects about the operation the act, including its coverage. It would not be appropriate for me to prejudge the outcome of the review by commenting now on the position of specific organisations.

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its response to the issues raised in Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - One year on: A consultation on the operation of the Act after one year in force.

Ms Margaret Curran: The on-going, limited review of the early operation of Freedom of Information in Scotland is providing the opportunity to consider how the act is working in practice. The outcome of the review will be announced in due course.

Justice

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many illegal immigrants granted bail in a Scottish court have absconded in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not available from the statistics collected centrally on convictions for the offence of bail absconding as these do not include information on whether the offender was an illegal immigrant.

Marine Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan is being monitored.

Rhona Brankin: The Moray Firth Seal Management Plan is monitored through a combination of regular surveys of local seal populations and annual returns from participants in the scheme.

Marine Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any evidence that implementation of the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan has resulted in an increase in salmon populations.

Rhona Brankin: The Moray Firth Seal Management Plan has focussed on the management of seals that forage in rivers and so targets the individual animals believed to cause most damage to stocks. It has been shown that removal of salmon by seals may have a large impact where stocks are low, for example during spring months.

  The plan therefore takes a precautionary approach to lessening the impacts of predation on salmon stocks while minimising impacts on the common seal population but the numbers of salmon returning to Scottish rivers depends on a wide range of factors. The concurrent variations in these factors can result in large fluctuations between years in numbers of salmon and means that it is very difficult to isolate the impact of individual management measures from records of salmon catches and counts.

Marine Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many seals have been killed under the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan since its inception.

Rhona Brankin: A total of 93 seals were shot during the first phase of the plan between April and December 2005, a significant reduction on the previous level and less than permitted under the licence. The second phase of the plan does not end until 31 December 2006 and final returns on seals shot during the period January to December 2006 are currently awaited.

Marine Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how the quotas for (a) common and (b) grey seals to be killed under the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan were calculated.

Rhona Brankin: The Moray Firth Seal Management Plan provides for an annual licence application under the Conservation of Seals (Scotland) Order 2004. Scottish Executive consideration of this application, includes the securing of scientific advice on seal conservation and management and the undertaking of an appropriate assessment due to the presence of the Dornoch Firth and Morrich More SAC for common seals.

  The maximum numbers permitted under the licence were calculated using a precautionary permitted biological removal figure recommended by the statutory scientific advisers on seal management. The licence sets out maximum numbers and the provisions of the licence are only used where it is considered that this is necessary to protect fisheries.

Mental Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues have been set up since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues have been set up since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the workload is of independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues and how this is measured and reported.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the funding of independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues is due to end, broken down by NHS board.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the funding of independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues is due to end, broken by local authority.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is its intention to fund independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues directly or through local authorities.

Lewis Macdonald: Advocacy services are not funded centrally. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 places a duty on health boards and local authorities to work together to secure the provision of independent advocacy services and to help people to access them.

Mental Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that independent advocacy services for patients with mental health issues are statutory services and should not, therefore, be supported through the voluntary sector and lottery funding.

Lewis Macdonald: There is a duty on health boards and local authorities under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to secure the availability of independent advocacy services for people who have a mental disorder. NHS boards may secure such services by funding them from their own allocation or by obtaining support from other sources.

Prescriptions

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to include prescribing rates of new treatments for psoriatic arthritis in its programme of public annual reviews of local NHS boards.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) conducts rapid assessments soon after their launch of the costs and benefits of medicines such as etanercept, an anti-tumour necrosis factor drug, which has been shown in clinical trials to offer a new option for people with psoriatic arthritis. NHSScotland is expected to take account of the advice from the SMC and ensure that recommended medicines are made available to meet clinical need.

  The agendas for NHS boards’ annual reviews are set by me as Minister for Health and Community Care, taking account of key health care issues of national and local importance and the overall progress of individual boards.

Prison Service

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the new prison at Addiewell will be ready for use.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29452 on 15 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29336 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 November 2006, what the unitary cost of HM Prison Addiewell will be.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The net present value of the HM Prison Addiewell contract is estimated to be £369 million which equates to about £15 million per annum over the 25-year life of the contract. On the same basis, the annual cost, or unitary cost, for a prisoner place equates to around £21,000 for each of the 700 prisoner places at HM Prison Addiewell.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to commercial sponsorship of the International Corrections and Prisons Association, or events organised by it, in the period during which the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service has been its chairperson.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  None in the time that I have been the ICPA Honorary President or before.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service had in awarding the contract for HM Prison Addiewell.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I signed the contract for HM Prison Addiewell on 20 June 2006.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the criteria for determining a home detention curfew order have been altered since the introduction of the programme in July 2006.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the women’s unit at Craiginches prison, Aberdeen, closed.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  3 October 2005.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the refurbishment of the women’s unit at Craiginches prison, Aberdeen, was completed.

Cathy Jamieson: The female unit has not been the subject of refurbishment.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the refurbishment of the women’s unit at Craiginches prison, Aberdeen, cost.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  There has been no refurbishment of the female unit.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the women’s unit at Craiginches prison, Aberdeen, will reopen.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS has no plans at present to re-open it for female prisoners.

Racial Equality

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30079 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 November 2006, whether it will publish the national race equality strategy and action plan and the four strategic group plans before dissolution.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are aiming to publish both the National Race Equality Strategy and Action Plan and the four strategic group plans before dissolution.

Smoking

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that it would not constitute an offence, under the Smoking Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act and associated Scottish statutory instrument, to smoke a tobacco product in a public transport facility, such as a train halt, that is not wholly or substantially enclosed.

Lewis Macdonald: It is not an offence under the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 to smoke in a structure that is not wholly or substantially enclosed. As defined in section 4(4) of the act, the types of premises which can be described as being ‘no-smoking premises’ for the purposes of the legislation are those premises that are wholly or substantially enclosed and which fall within one of the four categories of premises listed in section 4(4) (a) to (d). The full definition of "wholly or substantially enclosed" is contained within the Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Premises (Scotland) Regulations 2006 which can be accessed at www.clearingtheairscotland.com . It may, however, be an offence under railway bye-laws to smoke in any railway station where signs are displayed which state that smoking is not permitted.

Taxation

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of meetings attended by the First Minister or any of its other representatives with representatives of the UK Government at which the possibility of a variation in corporation tax for Northern Ireland was discussed, including details of when and where such meetings took place, the participants, any official papers discussed and the conclusions or decisions reached.

Mr Tom McCabe: Scottish ministers and officials are in regular contact in a variety of ways with the UK Government and its representatives on a wide range of subjects, both formally and informally, details of which are not always recorded centrally.

Vaccinations

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations were undertaken before the responsibility for contacting patients receiving flu vaccinations was transferred from NHS boards to Practitioner Services.

Mr Andy Kerr: The responsibility for contacting patients has not transferred from NHS boards and it is their decision whether to issue the letter or not. The letter is issued by Atos Origin, on behalf of NHS boards, to all patients entitled to receive free flu vaccination because they will be aged 65 years and over before the end of March 2007. The data used to identify these patients is held on the Community Health Index database operated by the Practitioner Services Division.

  Each year the content of the letter and the distribution arrangements are agreed with the Scottish Flu and Pneumococcal Working Group whose members include representation from Health Protection Scotland, Scottish Executive, pharmacy colleagues, Practitioner Services Division, general practice, media colleagues and NHS Board Immunisation Co-ordinators.

Vaccinations

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received from Practitioner Services multiple or inaccurate copies of letters of notification to attend to receive flu vaccinations.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of patients who have received multiple or inaccurate copies of letters this year is not centrally held.

Wildlife

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Red Squirrel Action Plan 2006-11 will be directed by one nominated individual with responsibility for its implementation.

Rhona Brankin: The Red Squirrel Action Plan identifies the need for action by a number of bodies. SNH and FCS both have significant roles in red squirrel conservation activity and the SNH Species Framework will provide the context for developing longer term strategies for action on red squirrels and for other priority species.

Wildlife

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a mapping programme for grey squirrels to identify the exact whereabouts and extent of the spread of grey squirrels.

Rhona Brankin: I am not aware of any plans to map grey squirrel populations on a national scale. The Red Squirrel Action plan includes the mapping of red squirrel strongholds and areas where incursions of grey squirrels are most likely, with the intention that control measures will then be targeted on those areas.

Wildlife

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are, or will be, funds available to carry out research into the immuno-contraception of grey squirrels.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Red Squirrel Action Plan 2006-2011, published recently by Scottish Natural Heritage, noted the need to identify and implement cost-effective methods of grey squirrel control. Immunocontraception is one method currently under consideration; funding is currently being provided for investigation of this as a potential method of long-term control and trials are underway to investigate methods of targeting delivery of chemical sterilant for grey squirrel control.

Wildlife

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the European Union in relation to the spread of grey squirrels and their impact on biodiversity.

Rhona Brankin: Communication with the European Union on the impacts of non-native species is co-ordinated through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Wildlife

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with squirrel organisations and local authorities in the north of England regarding the spread and control of grey squirrels and what action it has taken in collaboration with these organisations.

Rhona Brankin: The UK Red Squirrel Group co-ordinates actions to support red squirrel conservation. The relevant Scottish statutory agencies are represented on this group as are those from the north of England. This provides a forum for discussion of cross-border issues and for sharing information and good practice.

  The Scottish Red Squirrel Action Plan 2006-2011, recognised the importance of targeted grey squirrel control as the most effective approach to red squirrel conservation. It also recognised the particular risks currently facing red squirrels in the south of Scotland from the spread of grey squirrels testing positive for Squirrelpox virus antibodies. Action has been taken by SNH and FCS to control the flow of potentially infected grey squirrels from the Cumbria region through the employment of grey squirrel control officers.

Wildlife

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to stop the illegal release of grey squirrels into the wild.

Rhona Brankin: Grey squirrels are listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This schedule lists those species which it is illegal to release into the wild. Anyone who releases a grey squirrel into the wild is guilty of an offence and would be liable to prosecution. The investigation of criminal activity is a matter for the police.